LOS ANGELES — The future doesn’t look so bright for “Tomorrowland.”

Disney’s expensive fantasy adventure essentially had Memorial Day weekend to itself, and still only pulled in a modest $41.7 million in its first four days in theaters, according to Rentrak estimates Monday.

It’s a disappointing debut for a film that cost a reported $180 million to produce. Disney put its full weight behind the Brad Bird-directed film with an ambitious George Clooney-led promotional campaign.

“It’s not ever ideal to be below your estimate before the weekend starts, but it feels like it’s too early to judge the run,” said Disney’s Distribution EVP Dave Hollis.

Going into the weekend, tracking put the film in the $40 million to $50 million range. And yet, he said, this is the gamble that studios must take when trying to introduce an original film to the marketplace.

Hollis noted that “Tomorrowland” will be one of the few PG-rated family films in theaters until Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out” opens on June 19, which could be promising for its longevity – considering that many schools have yet to close for the summer.

“We are optimistic that originality and the vision that Brad Bird put on the screen is something that people will find and evangelize and hopefully get other folks to show up,” he said.


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